In a Victorian house, 18 Bay, as seen on July 9, 2011, offers dining on a shaded porch and inside. Photo Credit: Randee Daddona

In a Victorian house, 18 Bay, as seen on July 9, 2011, offers dining on a shaded porch and inside. (Credit: Randee Daddona)

Do you already have spring fever?

Actually, it's more like winter doldrums, that constant combination of the frosty and the fed-up. But, for the next month, we'll be thinking about what's ahead so we can contentedly forget about what's happening now.

Actually, it's more like winter doldrums, that constant combination of the frosty and the fed-up. But, for the next month, we'll be thinking about what's ahead so we can contentedly forget about what's happening now.

I'm daydreaming about dining alfresco at 18 Bay on Shelter Island, just when zucchini blossoms find their way to house-made goat-milk ricotta cannelloni, and a delicate spin on pistou; and the Tahitian vanilla ice cream meets the fresh fruit cobbler.

By then the ferry ride should provide a little breeze, not a stiff wind, either.

I eat ice cream all winter, but I wait until spring for my first ice-cream cone. Unlike a dish of ice cream, or a sundae, an ice cream cone is a one-handed affair, designed to be mobile. On the first day that’s sunny and warm enough to be outside without gloves, I buy a big chocolate ice-cream cone and enjoy it alfresco.

Snowflake in Riverhead not only has the best chocolate soft-serve, but all concoctions there must be consumed outside since there are no seats inside. It’s not the most picturesque setting, but I’ve enjoyed many hours in the parking lot that Snowflake shares with Funcho’s, just across the street from Buoy One in Riverhead. I consider this spot the gateway to the North Fork, and as I eat my cone — and, invariably, drip ice cream on my shirt — I think about all the delicious experiences that await farther east on Route 25.

A sure sign of spring: When the Clam Bar at Napeague opens — at first, on weekends only, and, as the season progresses, week days, too.

So long as the sun shines, you’ll always see a few hardy souls at picnic tables, hunkering down over clam chowder, fried clams, steamers and lobster rolls. For me, the Clam Bar's lobster roll defines the East End — sizable chunks of lobster meat, a little celery and just a touch of mayonnaise, heaped onto a lightly toasted potato hot dog roll. Best place to eat it is at a picnic table, but if there's too much of a chill in the air, the front seat of a car will do nicely.